Halle al'Chair

The Halle al'Chair, in Namur

The Halle al'Chair is a fine sixteenth-century building of Namur, a former meat market by the Sambre. The Namur audio-guided tour stops here to evoke this historic monument, a witness of the merchant past of the town, become a cultural place.

The former meat market of the Renaissance

At the approach of the Halle al'Chair, placed near the bridge, you plunge into the history of Namur: goodbye the twenty-first century, and hello the sixteenth! This fine stone hall was built under the reign of Philip II of Spain, then sovereign of the Netherlands, at the time when the town was under Spanish domination. As its Walloon name indicates, the Halle al'Chair, the hall of meat, was the covered meat market of the town, where the butchers sold their products, in a building designed for the needs of hygiene and trade. Located by the Sambre, at a strategic location, it testifies to the merchant activity and the prosperity of Namur in the Renaissance. Over time, the building changed use and sheltered notably a museum. A precious witness of the architecture and the history of the town, the Halle al'Chair is a fine stop of the discovery of Namur.

What to see

You admire the fine sixteenth-century stone hall, built under Philip II of Spain, the former meat market of the town where the butchers sold their products, by the Sambre, a witness of the merchant activity of Namur in the Renaissance and become a cultural and museum place. The Halle al'Chair is a historic monument of Namur. It is a stop to be discovered, to be explored on foot.

Practical information

The Halle al'Chair lies by the Sambre, near the bridge, in the heart of Namur, reachable on foot. You admire its exterior from the quays; the building shelters cultural functions whose access follows its own hours and conditions, which vary. It is best to check them before coming.

What was the Halle al'Chair in Namur?

The meat market of the town, the covered market where the butchers sold their products; this fine stone hall was built in the sixteenth century under Philip II of Spain, by the Sambre, and later sheltered a museum.

Where is the Halle al'Chair of Namur?

By the Sambre, near the bridge, in the heart of Namur, in Belgium.